holmes



(No Model.)

, l l 8 sheets-81.18881'. P. H. HOLMES.

MACHINE P0P. MAKING Woon FIBER. No. 291,848.

Patented Jan. 8, 1884.

. M Mgg I Mnlk lil ruk-IILI .6 sheets-'sheet 2.

, (No Model.)

nul

(No Model.)

' P. H. HOLMES.

MACHINE PoR-MAKING-WUOD FIBER. l No. 291,848. Patented Ja ,1,1. 28,.,1884.

nmlmwmu el] owl l E I||1MH` 1 Q o mi. Mimi Itn. PETERS. mawumegmnur. warn nnnnnnn C.

6 sheets-snm 3.

. 6 Sheets-Sheet 4.

P. H. HOL1VIES.

MACHINE POR MAKING WOOD FIBER.

Patented Jan. 8, 1884.

full

(No Model.)

l w//VESSES C@ w @Hwy (No Model.) 6 sheets-sheet 5.

P. H. HOLMES. MACHINE IOR MAKING WOOD FIBER. No. 291,848. 'Patentedi Jan. 8, 1884.v

. /lvvEJlv Tof? Afiorney lmmmm l @I/ 4. w/ m (No Model.) e 'sheets-'sheet s.

P.H.H0LMBS. MACHINE POR MAKING WOOD. FIBER.

No. 291,848. Patented Jan.l8, 18,84.

IN VEN TUI? Afforney I Uivrrnn rricn.

PHILIP I-I. HOLMES, OI GARDINER, MAINE.

MACE-'HNE FOR MAKING WOOD FIBER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 291,848, dated January 8, 1884.

(No model.)

To (LZ/Z whom, it may concern.:

Be it known' that I, PHILIP II. HoLnns, of Gardiner, inthe county ot' Kennebec and State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Making food Fiber; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in machines for making wood ber. Letters Patent No. 228,899 were granted to me June 15, 1880, for an improvement in wood fiber as a new article of manufacture, and for the process of and machine for producing the improved article.

My p resent invention relates more especially to an improvement on the machine covered by the patent referred to, the object being to provide a machine of such construction and arrangement of 'parts that a block or piece of wood may be quickly converted into dry wood fiber practically uniform in length and size and by a minimum expenditure of power. r further object is to produce a machine of this character having an attachment for retaining i a straight and sharp edge 011 the cutters for quite a length ot' time, and thus obviate the necessity for continually sharpening the knives or cutters.

IV ith these ends in view, my invention consists, first, in a machine for producing wood fiber for paper-pulp or other purposes, the

combination, with suitable devices for supporting and rotating a block or pieces of wood, of a vknife or cutter arranged to be reciprocated and sever the iiber from the block by a .drawing out.

My invention further consists in the combination, with suitable devices for supporting and rotating a block or pieces of wood, of a series of knives or cutters, made from asingle piece of material, or made separately and secured together, and devices for reciprocating said knives or cutters and severing the fiber by a drawing cut. l

My invention further consists in the combination, with devices forsupporting and rotating a block or piece of wood, of a cutting-blade provided with grooves for subdividing it into a series of knives or cutters.

My invention further consists in the combination, with suitable devices for supporting and rotating a block or piece of wood, of a knife or cutter for severing the fiber from the block, and means for sharpening the knife while the machine is in operation.

My invention further consists in the combination, with suitable devices for supporting and rotating a block or piece of wood, of a series of knives or cutters for severing the ber from the block, and means for sharpening thc knives or cutters while the machine is in operation. v

My invention further consists in the combination, with suitable devices for supporting and rotating a piece of wood, of a series of reciprocating knives or cutters arranged and adapted to sever the fiber by a drawing out, and means for sharpening said cutters while the machine is in operation.

My invention further consists in certain other features of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of a machine embodying my iii-- vention. Figs. 2 and 3 are views in side ele.- vation. Figs. fi and 5 are end elevations.

Fig. 7 is a detached view c1' the Sharpener. Fig. 8 is a detachedview of the forked nuts. Fig. 9 is a view of the slabholder, and Fig. 10 is a view in cross-section l of the same.

A represents the main frame of the machine. B is the head-stock, in which is journal'ed Y the live-spindle c, having secured thereto the d riving-pulley c', and provided at one end with l the chuck c2.

IOO

with the gear-wheel c', journaled on a stud, 0"', secured to an adjustable lever, c, the latter being provided with an arc-'shaped slot, c4, through which extends a bolt, By means of the nut cthe lever and gear may be'secured in any desired adjustment. Gear-wheel c meshes into a larger gear-wheel, c?, journaled on a shaft, es. Upon the projecting end of the shaft cs is journaled one end of a link, D, the opposite end of which supports the outer end ofa shaft, D', while the inner end of the latter is supported in the lower end of alink, D2, the upper end of which is j ournaled on a shaft, D3, mounted in the traveling rest D4. Gearwheel cT meshes into a gear-wheel, d, journaled on the shaft D, while the geard meshes into a gear, d', mounted on the shaft D3. The system of gearing above described is regulated as to speed by means of different-sized gears placed on the lever, stud, or bearing c2, said lever enabling the position of the gear to be regulated, so as to transmitmotion from ther pinion cA to thelarge gear-wheel al. The linkconnections described enable the gear's to transmit motion to the shaft D, mounted in the traveling rest D".

To the under side of the traveling rest are secured or' cast integral therewith the depending blocks E E', which are screw-threaded, and constitute traveling nuts. Shaft Eiis snpported in bearings c' e, and is provided with a screw-threaded portion, c?, that engages in the traveling nut E, while the forward end of the shaft is furnished with a'hand-wheel, E, for adjusting the position of the traveling rest by hand. Shaft E3 is supported in bearings ef et, and has keyed to one end th ereofa bevel-pinion, c, which meshes with a bevel-pinion, e, keyed to a counter-shaft, el, supported in bearings e5 e. Near the opposite end of the countershaft el is keyed a bevel-pinion, el", which -meshes with a bevel, c, keyed to the shaft E2. On the shaft cs, which is driven by the gearwheel c7, is keyed a pinion, F, which meshes with a gear-wheel journaled in the outer end of a shaft, F2, supported in an adjustable apron, Il, the latter being mounted on the shaft c". To the opposite end of the shaft F2 is secured a worm, F", that is adapted to engage a wormgear, F5, keyed to the shaft E3. A lever, G, is connected by a link, G, to the adjustable apron F, and is raised and lowered by means ofthe hand-lever G, which latter has pivoted thereto ahandle, G, that is connected by a rod, G2 with a spring-actuated catch, G5. Vhen the lever Ggis raised so as to throw the worm in engagement with the worm-gear, the catch G engages with the cross-piece g and retains the parts in gear. By raising the handle G3 the catch is disengaged, thereby allowing the apron to be lowered, and thus disengage the worm from the worm-gear. When the Worm is in gear with the worm-gear, rotary motion is transmitted from"the shaft cB to both of the screw-shafts E2 E, and thus the traveling rest is fed forwardly to its work in ""airevden and uniform manner, owing to the fact that power is applied thereto at its opposite ends. By disconnecting the worm and worm-gear the traveling rest is run back by hand; or, if desired, a clutch might be provided for running it back by power.

"Ihe traveling rest D* is constructed with grooved guideway H, in which slides the rear edge of the reciprocating head H. fearingplates h h are inserted in the guideway H, so as to engage the rear edge and top of the rear portion of the head. These parts are adjusted by means of the set-screws h2, to compensate for wear. The forward portion of the head is grooved, as at 7L, and engages guides h*, so as to retain it in position and insure an accurate adjustment of the parts. As there are many different ways for connecting the reciprocating head to the traveling rest, I do not limit myself to the construction and arrangement of parts shown and described. To the traveling head is secured a forked nut, I, which engages the double screw I, the latter being a continuation of the shaft D. By rotating the shaft D:i the head H' is reciprocated in opposite directions.

'To the head H, at one side thereof, is secured the trip WV, which may be adjusted to automatically trip the spring-actuated catch and disengage the worm from the worm-gear and stop the feed of the knives to the work.

J is the knife-blade, which may be made of a single piece of steel, but is preferably constructed of an iron bar having a steel facing welded thereto. Blade J is beveled on its under side to form a sharp cutting-edge, j. The upper face of the blade is provided with narrow grooves j', which are planed any desired depth, and serve to subdivide the blade into a series of knives, j", the width of which dctermines the length of the fiber produced as each knife` operates to sever the fiber from the block and produce fiber of a very iine and leven quality and of a length equal to the width of the knife; hence, by varying the width of the knives, fiber of any desired length may be produced. As fiber of different lengths may be desired for different purposes, each machine may be provided with a set of knives of different widths, so that by simply exchanging knife-blades any desired length of fiber may be produced. Knives constructed in the manner described possess many important advantages over a gang of separate and independent knives or cutters. In the first place, my improved knives are cheaper in first cost, as a single plate is quickly converted into a series of knives by simply grooving the upper face of the blade in the manner described; secondly, the knives are retained in accurate adjustment by bolts or screws K passing through the elongated slot K in the blade, and hence by adjusting t-he blade the entire series of knives are quickly and accurately adjusted and firmly retained against displacement; thirdly, by forming the knives integral from a single blade the cutting-edges of the series may be readily sharpened, and

fll

be kept perfectly straight, and thereby insure uniform work in the operation of the machine. The knives are fed forward against the revolving block of wood at any desired rate of speed by means of changeable gears on the stud c?, and thus produce ber of any required size. For some purposes a finer and more delicate ber is required than for othersas, for instance, in the manufacture of very thin paper a fine and delicate ber is required for thepulp, and hence in such case a slow feed is called for, while on the contrary a faster feed is resorted to in the production of a coarser grade of ber, which is adapted to be manufactured into eoarser stock for paper or other purposes. The knives are continua-lly fed forward to the work, and are at the same time reciprocated, so as to produce a drawing cut, which is one of the important features of my improvement, as less power is required to operate t-he machine and convert a block of wood into dry ber by knives producing a drawing cut than by stationary knives. Again, the knives operating in the manner described will retain their cuttingedge much longer than knives held stationary to their work.

Vhile I have shown and described a double screw and forked nut for reciprocating` the head with the knives connected therewith, I in nowise restrict myself to such devices for accomplishing this result, as I may use a rack and gear or a slide operated by an eccentric or crank or any other arrangement for reciprocating the knives, and hence consider myself' entitled to the employment of any suitable devices for the purpose stated.

I will now proceed to describe the mechanism for sharpening the knives.

To the shaft D is keyed a gear-wheel, L, which meshes with a gear-wheel on the counter-shaft L2. Eccentrics M M are secured to the counter-shaft lf. Ihe arms l l of the eccentric-straps Z2 are journaled upon bearing`- pins Z, attached to the slides N N. Each slide is mounted in a guide, N2, which is pivoted at n., while a set-screw, N, engages its outer end, and hence by means of the set-screw the guide may be adjusted to any desired angle. Upon the upper surface of each slide is secured a water-stone, O, the lower edges of which rest against a ledge, o, on the slide, while its upper edge is secured by a block, o', and a set-screw, 02. These knife-Sharpeners are located on opposite ends of the revolving block, and are reciprocated at right angles to the movement of the knives; and, further, are arranged so that each Sharpener will operate on a little more than one-half of the length of the blade of the entire series of knives. Hence it will be observed that while the machine is in operation and the knives are severing the ber from the rotating block of wood, the Sharpeners are also in operation and engage the beveled edges of the knives and retain an even and sharp cutting-edge on the entire series, thus enabling the machine to be operated for a comparatively great length of time Vwithout necessitating theremoval of the knives forgrinding; and, again, insuring a uniform grade of ber as to size as well as length. rlhe Water-stones are supplied with water through pipes communicating with a tank or other source of supply. (Not shown.)

While I have shown and described reciprocating Sharpeners as adapted for the purpose set forth, I do not limit myself to such construction and arrangement of Sharpeners, as I may use rotary sharpeners consisting of rotary stones or emeryavheels with or without beveled faces, and mounted so as to admit of adjustment to adapt themselves to the adjustment ofthe knives; or, instead of rotary sharpeners, I may use endless belts of eniery sup ported on rollers mounted in an adjustable frame, and arranged to engage and sharpen the knives. The combination of a knife-Sharpener with the knives, whereby the latter may be sharpened while the machine -is in operation is an important feature of my invention, because it is essential to the best results that the knives shall have their cutting-edges retained very sharp and in alignment with each other. If it were necessary to remove the knives to resharpen them whenever they had become too dull for use, much valuable time and labor would be expended in such work, and under such conditions it'would be impossible to obtain a uniform grade and quality of ber; but by the employment of Sharpeners that produce LIOO a drawing movement'across the edges of the knives while the latter are in operation their cutting-edges are retained perfectly true and very sharp for a great length ot' time, thus materially increasing the producing capacity of the machineas well as insuring a uniform grade of ber. As the work imposed upon the knives gradually lessens as the block is cut away and its diameter decreased in size, I may employ variable speeds for driving the live-spindle and run it at a slow speed While the block is rst operated upon, and when partly reduced run it at a higher rate of speed throughout the remainder of the operation.

Instead of operating on blocks of wood, I may convert slabs into ber by the following method: In Fig. 9, Q Q represent arbors, which are respectively secured to the spindle and mandrel of the machine. Each arbor is provided with the inwardlyprojecting anges q', which serve as rests for the slabs, while the ends of the arbor are provided with projections qi, which penetrate the ends of the slabs and retain them against displacement. The slabs are sawed into the form as shown in Fig. 9, and are then secured at their opposite ends to the arbors, the adjacent edges of the slab making joints, as shown. Thearbors, withthe slabs fastened thereto, arethen placed in themachine, which will convert the greater portion of the slab into ber, and thus enable me to utilizea comparatively worthless product of sa v-mills. R represents a trough, into which the ber is thrown as it leaves the block, and by means of which the fiber is conveyed from the machine. This trough maybe provided with an endless belt, to serve as a conveyer; or the trough may be closed and serve as a trunk, and an exhaustfan connected therewith for removing the fiber by suction or blast, as may be preferred. Vhile I prefer to employ a series of knives for formingthe fiber, as they notonly severthe fiber from l the block, but also cut it in the desired lengths,

I may use a simple knife or blade for severing the fiber, and employ separate knives or cutters, either stationary or revolving, for cutting grooves in the block before operated upon by the severing-knife. Again, the knives, instead of being made integral, as described, may be made separate and independent, and secured to or within a holder by clamping screws or bolts.

As it is evident that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the mechanism and gearing for feeding the knives, also for reciprocating the knives, also for actuating the Sharpeners, and also in the construc tion of the knives and Sharpeners, without involving a departure from my invention, I would have it understood that I do not restrict myself to the particular construction and arrangement of parts shown and described.

It is unnecessary for me to herein set forth characteristics that distinguish dry-wood fiber from the ordinary and well-known wet-wood pulp, nor the advantages attending the use of dry fiber, as such matters, together with the prior art, have been clearly set forth in my patent heretofore referred to.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is*

l. In a machine for making wood fiber, the combination, with devices for supporting and rotating a block or pieces of wood, of a knife arranged to be moved and sever the fiber by a drawing cut, substantially as set forth.

2.. In a machine for making wood fiber, the combination, with devices for supporting and rotating a block or pieces oflwood, of a series of knives and suitable devices for reciprocat ing said knives and severing the fiber by a drawing cut, substantially as set forth.

3. In a machine for making wood fiber, the combination, with devices for supporting and rotating a block or pieces of wood, of a series of knives and devices for feeding the knives to their work and for reciprocating them and severing the ber by a drawing cut, substantially as set forth.

4. In a machine for making wood fiber, the combination, with devices for supporting and rotating a block or pieces of wood, of a blade provi ded with grooves that subdivide the blade into a series of knives, substantially as set forth.

5. In a machine for making wood fiber, the combination, with devices for holding ablock of wood, of a series of knives adapted to convert the wood into fiber, and means for sharpening the knives while the machine is in operation, substantially as set forth.

6. In a machine for` making wood ber, the combination, with devices for supporting and rotating a block or pieces of wood, of a series of knives, devices to feed and reciprocate said knives, and means for sharpening the knives while the machine is in operation, substantially as set forth.

7 In a machine for making wood fiber, the combination, with devices for rotatingablock or pieces of wood, of reciprocating knives, a reciprocating knife-Sharpener, and means for adjusting the angle of inclination of said sharpener, substantially as set forth.

8. In a machine for making wood fiber, the combination, with devices for rotating a block or pieces of wood, of reciprocating knives, a reciprocating slide having a knife-Sharpener removably secured thereto, and means for varying the angle of inclination of said slide, substantially as set forth.

9. In a machine for making wood fiber, the

combination, with devices for rotating a block or pieces of wood, of reciprocating knives and reciprocating knife-Sharpener, located at opposite sides of the transverse center of said knives, substantially as set forth.

10. In a machine for making wood fiber, the combination, with devices for rotating ablock or pieces of wood, of reciprocating knives for severing the fiber by a drawing cut and a trough for conveying away said fibers, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

PHILIP H. HOLMES.

Vi tnesses:

XV. J. LANDnRs, H. A. SEYMOUR. 

